First Look: Qantas Debuts New First-Class Lounge at LAX

Exciting news from LAX today, where Australia's flag-carrier has opened an all-new Qantas First Lounge.

The lounge, which takes its cues from the Qantas First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, can accommodate more than 200 customers who want to unwind, dine and socialize before or after their flights.

Cool design touch: This is the first overseas Qantas First lounge to be created by Australian industrial designer, Marc Newson. Similar to the flagship First Lounge in Sydney, the new Qantas First Lounge in Los Angeles has a 74-seat restaurant and bar where customers can dine from a Neil Perry Rockpool-designed a la carte menu while watching the action of the open-style kitchen.

The new menu will be updated seasonally and will offer a mix of signature Rockpool Bar and Grill dishes including Black Angus minute steak with chipotle butter and lime, local LA-inspired cuisine including Mexican, Korean and Italian, and favorites from the First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne such as the Salt and Pepper Squid.

The bar will also serve signature cocktails (such as the Mezcal Margarita), premium Australian and Californian wines, champagne, ice teas and a full barista service. Lounge hosts will offer a selection of individually prepared small plates in the lounge and bar area.

The new Qantas First Lounge also offers: faster WiFi, wireless printing, cable television, two private work suites and seven shower suites with Aurora Spa ASPAR products.

Nice touch: Qantas has partnered with Sofitel to provide a hotel-like experience in the lounge. Qantas First Hosts will also provide a personalised service for customers traveling in First, which includes dedicated check-in, fast-track immigration and dedicated boarding.

Good to know: Qantas is set to boost services between Sydney and Los Angeles to cater for increased demand over the holiday period, operating an extra B747 service on December 18, 19 and 20 in addition to the scheduled daily B747 and A380 service. From today, Qantas will increase its Melbourne to Los Angeles service from a daily service to ten per week. B747s on the Pacific route are reconfigured, with similar interiors and inflight entertainment found in the airline’s flagship A380 fleet.